Muslim woman wins ‘Great British Bake Off’

LONDON: A Muslim mother-of-three who captured the affections of millions of Britons with her cake-making skills – and eye-catching facial expressions – has been hailed “an inspiration” to women of her faith after being crowned Britain’s best amateur baker.
In the final of the BBC’s Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain, 30, defeated Tamal Ray, a trainee anaesthetist of Indian origin, and Ian Cumming, a travel photographer sometimes employed by the Dalai Lama.
The climax to the 10-week competition attracted 14.5 million viewers at its peak – a record for any UK television programme this year.
Mrs Hussain baked 16 iced cakes, a raspberry mille-feuille and what she called “my big fat British wedding cake” for the “showstopper” section of the programme.
She designed the cake in red, white and blue, choosing the colours of the Union flag as a deliberate statement of her Britishness.
The splendour of her creation, described by the judges as “sheer perfection”, made up for the lack of a wedding cake at her own marriage ceremony in her family’s native Bangladesh, where varied desserts are uncommon. “I bought a sari that was red, white and blue … and I decorated my stand with that,” said Mrs Hussain, who was born in the southern English town of Luton but now lives in the northern city of Leeds.
“My husband Abdal’s favourite cake is lemon drizzle, so I decided to make that. At the very end of the filming I took the cake out to my family’s table (on set) and we all had a slice. So my husband and I did get our wedding cake after all.”
As she fought her way to the finals, Mrs Hussain experienced early setbacks. Her vol-au-vent pastry cases were likened to “buttery cellulite” and she admitted she had entered the contest fearing she would be dismissed as ”a Muslim in a headscarf” by people questioning her ability.
“I hope that, week by week, people have realised that I can bake,” she told the broadcasting magazine Radio Times. “And just because I’m not a stereotypical British person, it doesn’t mean that I am not into bunting, cake and tea. I’m just as British as anyone else, and I hope I have proved that.”